April 2024 - TomTom Map Partnerships Newsletter

WELCOME 

As we say goodbye to the chilly days and welcome the gentle warmth of a new season, we're thrilled to bring you the latest updates and news. In this edition, we'll share our top Tips and Tricks for Vertex editing, TomTom-hosted events, and all the current happenings to keep you in the know.

Join us as we embrace the blossoming season and uncover all that April has in store. From fresh beginnings to exciting opportunities, we're eager to have you join us on this journey. Take a moment to unwind, savor a cup of tea, and immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of April. Let's make this month truly unforgettable together!

Vertex Updates

First and last house numbers on a road element are accessible for viewing along with house number variance. To enable House Numbers in Vertex, click Map Data on the right-side tool bar. Under Map Features select the House Numbers Check box.

House Numbers appear at zoom level 17. If the house numbers are still not visible, then click Zoom In on the right-side tool bar until they do. For more information on House Numbers, please go to the Vertex User Manual.

Custom Vertex Layers

Interested in editing a TomTom map by importing your own custom layer? Just follow these steps:

Select “Map Data”.

Then click on the three dots next to “Custom Map Data”.

A popup will then appear.  Click “Choose File” to find the file you wish to load. Make sure that the file is in the appropriate format (.gpx, .kml, .geojson, or .json). Once you have chosen the file, click “OK”.

If you have chosen the correct file type, “Custom Map Data” should change from being greyed out to blue. Click the box to have the layer load in Vertex.

TomTom Map Partnerships Knowledge Center News

Rule ID Spotlight: 51059 - DTFR for Lane and Road not in line

Violation: DTFR (Direction of Traffic Flow Restriction) for Lane and Road not in line

Description: If a road has more than one driving lane:

• If there is a traffic flow restriction for a specific vehicle type in a certain direction, then all driving lanes must have the same restriction for that vehicle type in that direction.

• If there is no traffic flow restriction for a specific vehicle type in a certain direction, then at least one driving lane must also have no restriction for that vehicle type in that direction.

If a road has only one driving lane:

• The direction of traffic flow restriction for the driving lane must be the same as the road element.

In simple terms, if the road has multiple lanes, they must all have the same restrictions. If there's only one lane, it must have the same restrictions as the road. 

Cause: This rule is caused by a violation of the relationship between the directionality and the assigned lane information on the road, which causes a directionality mismatch between these attributes.

Solution: Be vigilant when changing directions on roads that are connected to dual carriageway / roundabouts, because lane information is created on high-class roads. In some cases, a better solution would be to add a new road with attributes, which will allow us to avoid registering this rule.

Vertex Tool Tip of the Month

Quickly Increasing the Viewable Map Size

Real Estate is valuable. Luckily, it’s free in Vertex! Maximizing the Map View for quick analysis is only a shortcut key away. If you’re going to learn any shortcut keys in Vertex, you should start with the following three. They increase viewable map size without the user having to go back and forth from the left side of the screen to the right, or vice versa.

1. “`” to open and close the Left Panel

2. “b” to open and close the “Background Settings” right panel

3. “f” to open and close the “Map Data” right panel

Map View with Search and Map Data panels open

Map View with Search and Map Data panels closed

A full list of “Keyboard Shortcuts” can be found in the “Help” panel on the right side of the screen. You can even use keyboard shortcut “?” to open the list of “Keyboard Shortcuts” or…

you can learn more about Keyboard Shortcuts in the Vertex User Manual.

Vertex Editing Best Practices 

Creating a Roundabout

While we eagerly await the completion of our new circular geometry tool, we would like to share an effective method for manually crafting roundabouts and adding them to the map.

To ensure the accuracy and reliability of our geometry updates, it's important to begin with reliable sources. In this particular case, we have access to imagery displaying partial construction, GPS lines, and a construction mock-up in OSM. These resources will serve as valuable starting points for our updates.

To begin, please utilize the right-click Disconnect function to separate the roads at the crossing. Following this, use your available resources to relocate the end nodes to their new positions. This approach effectively mitigates the potential for any discrepancies such as lost addresses, incorrect names, and other mix-ups that may occur if the nodes are used to create the roundabout directly.

Next, proceed to draw lines connecting the four end nodes, shaping them into a rough square. Assign a temporary road type to these lines, with proper attribution to be applied upon the completion of the geographic process.

Subsequently, individually select each new road to create a mid-point node. Then, drag this node to its appropriate location on the future circle, aligning it with your available sources. This sequential process will result in the formation of an octagon.

Continue the iterative process of dragging mid-points until a smooth circle is formed. Adjust the geographic layout as necessary to achieve a seamless circle.

Upon completion, ensure that the circle is attributed according to specifications and its connected roads.

TomTom in the World

Youth Mappers Webinar

Have you ever thought about how maps can do more than just show us where to go? They play a huge role in making the world a better place by supporting important causes like humanitarian aid and sustainable development.

We recently had a webinar hosted by TomTom and YouthMappers, where we discussed our collaboration within the OpenStreetMap (OSM) community. During the webinar, we delved into our ongoing partnership with YouthMappers and how we're collectively shaping a more open, community-led future for mapmaking through OSM. We shared how we pool resources, expertise, and ideas to strengthen community mapping initiatives, enhance map data quality, and develop more impactful applications for maps. Click here to view the webinar.

Open Data Day

The Communities Mapping Communities: Brazil-Africa Connection event was a wonderful opportunity to bring people together and make a positive impact. The main focus was on empowering vulnerable communities in Brazil and Africa through the exchange of knowledge using open mapping data.

During the event, we had three days of engaging seminars with 16 speakers from Brazil, Kenya, Mozambique, and the USA, as well as two workshops and a mapathon. What's even more amazing is that 18 people participated in person, including 7 residents of the vulnerable community of Pau da Lima in Salvador. This community, where mapping began on OpenStreetMap during the mapathon on March 5th, is already making a difference with 3,532 edits registered in the project.

The cultural exchange activities between Brazil and Kenya, known as "Bringing Cultures Together through Open Mapping," are continuing every other Saturday! This exchange is fostering connections between the Community Mappers of Kibera (the largest favela in Africa) and groups in Brazil, such as the Community Mappers UFBA and CommuniTech from the Pau da Lima community. The inaugural workshop during YouthMappers UFBA's Open Data Day was truly inspiring and reinforced our commitment to these communities. The relationship of trust that is being built here in Brazil is something we deeply value, and we're excited to continue this journey of collaboration and learning.

TomTom Shines in the Latest CodinGame Competition

We are thrilled to share the fantastic news that in the latest CodinGame competition, TomTom has achieved its best result to date! With an incredible score of over 20,000 points, we secured 8th place, marking a significant milestone in our journey of excellence in coding challenges.

But that's not all. We are immensely proud to announce that two of our outstanding players, Daniel Górski and Grzegorz Spryszyński, have clinched a spot in the top 100 of the global contests ranking. Their remarkable performance reflects the dedication, skill, and passion that embody the spirit of our TomTom community.

To celebrate these remarkable achievements, we invite you to check out our Company Leaderboard found here and the TomTommers in contests leaderboard found here.

Do You Like What You See?

If you’ve found our newsletter enjoyable or informative, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to give it a thumbs up below, and if you’d like, share your thoughts on what you found most valuable. Your feedback is highly appreciated and helps us tailor our content to suit your interests better. Thank you for being a part of our map editing community!